[Naomi]

Hi Carrie- does the top serloin that you buy have a barcode on it? Sometimes even fresh cut meats from the meat department have barcodes on the packaging. I find that scanning barcodes in MFP is the safest bet when trying to be as accurate as possible.

[Naomi]

Melanie- the health of the baby and having a safe and healthy pregnancy should be your number one priority, yes.

[Naomi]

Hi Melanie- You don’t have to do any running at all, the cardio examples given are just options: “In this phase, you will be performing cardio three days a week, for 30 minutes a session. The workouts below are options for you to choose for Phase 1.”

So you can pick any other cardio that is safe and not painful for you to do 🙂 Good luck!

[Naomi]

Hi Dayna- for best results, I would recommend sticking as close to the plan as is. You can do it!! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Tasha- you can replace the leg extensions with sissy squats instead 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Shaunisty- I believe this is a question best asked of your OB, so if you can call your OB with a list of Nicole’s supplements and caloric guidelines that would be best.

[Naomi]

Hi Jennifer- weigh all foods after cooking, except oatmeal (weigh oatmeal dry) 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Katrina- this recommendation is made to minimize the amount of overall sugar intake in order to increase the chances of getting results during the Challenge.

[Naomi]

Hi Sandra-

The alternate exercises are to allow a wide variety of individuals of all levels to paticipate in the Challenge. If you need to work up to an execise, or if you have an injury that prevents you from being able to do an exercise, alternate exercises are provided. It’s all on an individual basis, so just do the best that you can do with where you’re at on your exercise journey. Remember to challenge yourself during the workouts, but not at the risk of injury or doing something your body is not yet ready for 🙂

Good luck!!

[Naomi]

Hey! The most mportant thing is to get all your workouts in, first and foremost. So whatever you need to do schedule-wise to get your workouts in, aim for that. Here are the different options in order of ideal first and least ideal last:

1. Cardio in a.m. on lifting days, lifting in afternoon/evening. So in a perfect world, ideally you should do your cardio session in the morning, then try to put as much space between your cardio and weight lifting session as you can (4-8 hours) for example doing cardio at 6 a.m., then weight lifting at 2 p.m.
2. If you have to get your cardio in the same workout session as your weight training, do cardio AFTER your weights. So weight lifting workout followed by cardio session.
3. If you absolutely can’t get yoour cardio in on the same day as a weight lifting workout, you can do your cardio on your “rest day.” However, I strongly advise against doing this if at all possible so that you can giev your body a full day of complete rest. Rest/recovery days are just as important as your workout days when it comes to overall progess 😉

I hope this helps! Good luck! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Nicole-

Definitely don’t count them as your lifting days. If your goal is to follow the Challenge, then follow all the strength-training workouts in the challenge. My best advise to you is to:
– don’t do any extra cardio that is outlined in Phase 1 of the Challenge
– lift as little as possible and as light a weight as possible while teaching your strength training classes (you can explain to your class what you are doing and why if you need to, I am sure they will understand and be supportive! 😉

I hope this helps! Good luck! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Courtney- the cardio option you are referring to, I believe, is “Mixed Machines” and is as follows:
WORKOUT 2: Mixed Machines
Duration: 30 minutes
• 10 minutes Stepmill at Level 8
• 1 minute Stepmill at Level 15
*Repeat 5x, then move to:
• 10 minutes Treadmill at 8.0mph repeating this cycle: 20 seconds run/10 seconds rest
*Straddle the treadmill, taking your feet off the belt entirely
• 10 minutes Treadmill incline walk at 3.5mph, incline 15% (30 seconds with hands, 30 seconds without hands)

Hi Beth- if you absolutely have to do cardio on a rest day due to time/schedule contraints then yes, you can. But try as much as possible to save your rest days for complete and total rest and recovery so that you can hit it hard for your next workouts 😉

[Naomi]

Hi Rebekah-

Yours is a very specific and unique situation, so my best advise to you would be to minimize the weights you use during teaching BodyPump as much as possible so that you can focus on your heavy, muscle building workouts for the Challeneg. Also, minimize or completely eliminate any extra cardio — you will get plenty of cardio teaching classes! 😉

I hope this helps, good luck!

[Naomi]

Hi Kay-

There isn’t a way to run through all the exercises, so you will have to click back to the main screen, then click on each exercise to view the video. Good luck with the challenge! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Roberta,

Thank you for your question! Everyone’s body responds differently to the intensity level of the workouts they are doing and the nutritional guidelines set forth in the challenge. Since this isn’t an individualized, personalized workout and nutrition plan, Nicole has come up with different general guidelines and perameters based on height and weight ranges. Even someone who weights 130lbs can tolerate and even see ideal results on the same caloric intake and macros as someone who is the same height and weighs 15lbs heavier. It all depends on someone’s muscle density, body fat percentage and metabolism, as well as how heavy (workout intense) each person is lifting.

Beyond the ranges set forth in each Meal Plan outlined in the nutrition portion of the challenge, you can adjust your own calories and macros if that’s what you choose to do and if you feel it’s necessary based on your own body’s response to the workouts and nutrition.

I hope this helps answer your question! Good luck!! 🙂

[Naomi]

You’re welcome! Correct, no more icon meals.

[Naomi]

Here is another place you can find all of Nicole’s parterships and promo codes: Promo Codes

[Naomi]

Hi Stacey!

Nicole’s promo codes are:

Polar.com: NICOLE16 (caps)
– for a discount off select heart rate monitor items only
Selfiez.me: nicolew
– for a discount off magnetic phone cases
@shoppinkivy (on Instagram) or search for Shop Pink Ivy on Etsy: NICOLE15 (caps)
– for $15 off any order
sixpackbags.com: nicolew5
– for 15% off any bag

I hope this helps! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Marybeth- I am so sorry about all that you are dealing with this year through the holidays, but we are here for you and I hope this challenge has helped you be able to channel your stress and feelings in a positive way, and hopefully make some friends and pick up some great health habits and tips along the way!!

I would strongly urge you to please still upload you final pics, even if they aren’t in the same location and you aren’t wearing the same thing!! Please do this, for several reasons:

1. you NEVER know, you might have made more changes than you think and could be in the running as a winner! You just don’t know!! 😉

2. you have worked so hard and come so far and embarked on this journey with so many emotions and expectations. You owe it to yourself to CROSS THAT FINISH LINE!!! There is something you do for yourself when you complete something that you set out to do. It instills a confidence and trust in yourself that you wouldn’t get if you didn’t finish. It is a gift you are giving to yourself. Do this for you, if for no other reason.

3. you will always wonder, girl! And you may at some point eventually just wish that you had uploaded those darn pictures! LOL! Don’t let that be the case, because you won’t ever have THIS exact opportunity again (though we will have more challenges 😉 )

4. you have nothing to lose by uploading them!

I really hope you will cross the finish line of this journey you started 30 days ago and upload your final pics! 🙂 Good luck and we are thinking about you through these holidays as a single mom and first one without your mom. xo ~ Naomi

[Naomi]

Hi Monica- the simple answer is yes: in theory, and in most cases, as long as you are in a caloric deficit you will lose WEIGHT (not only fat, but weight in general including some muscle – it’s almost always unavoidable).

There are so many factors that go into a caloric deficit, however, and it’s not just numbers. The difficulty (in my opinion) lies in determining how many calories a person is burning in a given day. You could have two people eating the exact same foods, exact same calories on a 40/40/20 macro split, doing the exact same exercises at the exact same weight and intensity levels but one person may be burning twice as many calories as the other because their metabolism is twice as fast. The factors that go into a fast metabolism can include: muscle density, genetics, hormones, exercise history, etc.

So it’s not just the numbers of calories in (total consumed at the end of the day) vs. calories out (what the cardio machines or exercise apps tell you you’ve burned that day). If only it were that simple 😉 I know this probably isn’t the simple answer you were hoping for but I hope this helped! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Rebecca- I think both are great pieces of equipment and both are beneficial in different ways. I have a lot of older clients that I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting on the 90 degree leg press, as there is more control over the 45 degree leg press. Any time you have equipment that is at more of a steep angle, you can have less control (for the most part) of the weight because the steeper the angle the more gravity and momentum is allowed to come into play. Depending on what your current fitness level is and what your goals are the 90 degree leg press can be the better option, though you can get a really good, intense leg workout on the 45 degree leg press also depending on the weight and technique you use. All-in-all, I feel the 90 degree leg press is a more advanced piece of equipment and you can engage your leg muscles more at that angle. A similar comparison would be like starting someone off doing squats on a squat machine or the Smith machine (both are assisted) instead of going straight to the squat rack (unassisted). You can get a great intense workout from both pieces of equipment, but the squat rack is the more advanced way of doing squats. I hope this helps! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Kylie- if you food journal in MFP and you go in the “nutrition” tab, it will show you exactly how many macros you’ve eaten so far and how many you have left to eat to reach your goals, or will tell you if you’re over or under. MyFitnessPal is definitely the best tool I’ve used for staying on track to hit your nutrition goals. There is also a tutorial tab in MFP that will guide you on how to use certain tools. Maybe give it another try! 🙂

[Naomi]

YEAH GIRL!!! You are doing amazing, keep up the hard work, positive attitude and determination! Almost there, home stretch! YOU’VE GOT THIS!!! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Kylie-

That is a great question! Yes, absolutely you can just count macros and stay within the macros set forth by the meal plan you are following. One gram of carbs is 4 calories, one gram of protein is 4 calories and one gram of fat is 9 calories, so as long as you hit the right number of macros, you should be hitting the right amount of calories and not going over or under on your calories.

As far as your second question, if you are short on fats, you can add in whatever amount of fats you need to reach your fat macro goal. If a tablespoon (16 grams, measuring by weighing in grams or ounces is much more accurate) of almond butter will get you to your fat totals, then that’s what you would do, yes. If you are short on protein or over on protein, then you would weigh out the appropriate potion of chicken, yes.

Are you food journaling in MyFitnessPal to make sure your totals per meal/per day are accurate?

[Naomi]

Hi Judith,

I suggest not running at all with the issues you have. Running will only cause more problems in the long-run and increase the severity of your injuries. You shouldn’t be in ANY pain (except for lactic acid muscle burn) while you are doing cardio. If you feel any type of pain other than that, it is your body’s way of telling you there is something wrong going on and you need to stop. It is really unwise to try to push through that kind of pain, or to keep doing exercises that you experience bad pain with. I actually just wrote about this topic last week, if you have a chance to read this article.

My advice is to ONLY stick to cardio that does not cause any pain (fast walking, elliptical, bike, etc.) which may not feel as intense but at least 1) you will be able to get through the whole session and 2) you are not causing any further pain or harm to your body.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

[Author]

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